Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 24 May 2012 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatinau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber Bob Cermak [email protected] or [email protected]
Most reports this past week were of local breeding birds, though some later migrants are still moving through. On the 20th, 200-300 BRANT and a similar number of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS along with 2 SURF SCOTERS appeared briefly on the Ottawa River off Petrie Island before proceeding west. A couple of COMMON LOONS were on the river on the 22nd, and PIED-BILLED GREBES were widely reported at local marshes and sewage lagoons. A LEAST BITTERN was heard at the Constance Creek marsh along the Thomas Dolan Parkway on the 20th, and a GREAT EGRET was fishing at the mouth of Pinecrest Creek east of the Britannia Conservation Area on the 22nd. GREEN HERONS and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS continue to be seen at Britannia and elsewhere. A least 2 eaglets were visible in the BALD EAGLE nest at Shirley's Bay on the 15th, confirming the success of this first breeding pair in the City of Ottawa. VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, COMMON GALLINULE and AMERICAN COOT were again reported from various wetlands. The summer-like weather may have prompted most shorebirds to pass us by; other than local breeders such as KILLDEER and SPOTTED SANDPIPER, very few species at the eastern sewage lagoons on the weekend included a single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and a few LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS. A single WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was at the Casselman lagoons on the 23rd. Seventy BONAPARTE'S GULLS was a good number for Ottawa on the 23rd - all were hawking insects on or below the Deschenes rapids. A pair of COMMON TERNS continues at this location. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS have been reported since the 17th, and the first local reports of COMMON NIGHTHAWK were on the evening of the 23rd. Back on the 13th, an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen in the area where a pair have bred for the past 10 years. A YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was found at Britannia on the 19th and ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS are back in breeding habitats. A few SWAINSON'S THRUSHES were noted on the weekend, VEERY, HERMIT and WOOD THRUSHES are all singing on territory, and more CEDAR WAXWINGS arrived last week. Of the 24 species of WARBLERS reported over the past week, new arrivals included GOLDEN-WINGED, MOURNING and WILSON'S. TENNESSEE and BLACKPOLL are moving through in substantial numbers. Visits to the trails near the Champlain lookout in Gatineau Park on the weekend yielded many of the above warblers and other songbirds including crowd-pleasers such as SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, INDIGO BUNTING, and BALTIMORE ORIOLE. All of our breeding sparrow species continue to be very vocal in their habitats, and last but not least, EVENING GROSBEAKS were still coming to a feeder at the west end of the Larose forest on the 23rd. Thanks to everyone who contributed bird observations - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
